


The Past Means Nothing (Until It Catches Up)

by SkylerHyrule



Series: The Truth Comes Out and We Fall [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Clay | Dream and Toby Smith | Tubbo are Siblings, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrids, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prince Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Prince Toby Smith | Tubbo, Toby Smith | Tubbo-centric, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:02:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29058696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkylerHyrule/pseuds/SkylerHyrule
Summary: Tubbo and his family are attacked one night, and the consequences will change the fate of a country or two.OrTubbo, his family, and their friends just want to be left alone, and if that involves taking down the guy who destroyed his life. Well, Tubbo's not complaining
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Darryl Noveschosch & Sapnap, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Zak Ahmed & Darryl Noveschosch, Zak Ahmed & Technoblade
Series: The Truth Comes Out and We Fall [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2093109
Comments: 5
Kudos: 82





	1. Test Run

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Please make sure you read part 1 before this. I made it as a prologue to the story I wanted to write (this) and it includes backstory you need to know to understand this. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> (This story takes place 2/3 years after the first part, and they are all they're current real life ages)

Tubbo could hear his heart pounding in his ears, barely louder than the snapping of branches a few metres behind him. Frantically he searched for anything that could be used to his advantage. A thin tree. A rose bush. Nothing caught his attention. His breath hitched as the snapping grew more frequent, his pursuer speeding up behind him. Finally, he spotted something, a branch that was lying low across the path ahead. He recalled it from his numerous trips up and down the beaten track, a flexible branch the perpetrator to many a wack in the face. His thoughts raced a mile-a-minute as he raced closer to the branch. He was shorter than the branch, but the man behind him was quite a bit taller, probably—hopefully—the same height as the tree. He slowed to let the man catch up just before he hit the branch, hand reaching up to grab it and using his momentum to pull it with him before letting it go. He heard a satisfying wack as the branch found its mark, the man falling to the ground clutching his face, tears streaming down his eyes. Tubbo grabbed the man’s sword before he could re-orientate himself and slammed the pommel into his temple. He went still. Tubbo stood for a few seconds to make sure the man was unconscious, breaths laboured, forming clouds in the cool night air.

He scanned the trees for vines, finally spotting some just off the path. He used the sword as a scythe, hacking at the long grass to get to them. He cut off a few long pieces and bundled them up in his arms. He made his way back and rolled the man over and off the path. Clumsily he tied the makeshift ropes around his wrists and ankles, stuffing one into his mouth for good measure. He threw the sword to the side, making sure if he woke up, the man wouldn’t be able to find it. He jolted as he remembered his original urgency. Turning away he broke into a sprint, forgetting his earlier exhaustion.

“Phil! Phil!” After what felt like hours he emerged into a familiar clearing. His father stood from where he had been anxiously waiting on the porch. He stumbled as he tried to slow and felt warm arms wrap around to steady him. “Phil help I—the others—they need help—too many of them,” he managed, gasping in great lungfuls of air between every word, speaking too fast to be heard clearly. He felt the grip on his arms tighten.

“Hey mate, I need you to be calm. Take deep breaths and slow down. What happened?”

Slowly he took a shuddering breath, sinking further into Phil.

“We—we were on our way home, just out of town when Techno noticed some guys following us. We ignored them in the hopes they’d go away, but, by the time we were in the forest, we knew they were gonna attack us. We made it to the field where the bandits used to live when they started getting closer. Techno told me to get you ‘cause I’m the fastest runner’,” he blabbered, shivering in the cool night air as the rush of adrenaline faded. “There were a lot of them, from what I saw. Techno can’t fight them all and now they’re all gonna die!” he cried, burying his face into his father’s chest.

Phil stiffened, exhaling slowly and rubbing soothing strokes into Tubbo’s back. “Ok, ok go inside and get whatever healing potions and bandages you can find and get them ready, I’ll bring them back I promise. Just stay here.”

Tubbo nodded shakily as Phil stood, walking towards the trees.

“Ah! Wait,” Tubbo called out, “I was being chased by one of them but I knocked him out a few minutes down the path.”

Phil turned back, pride shining in his eyes through the worry. “Thank you, Tubbo, I’ll drag him back after I retrieve your brothers.”

Tubbo nodded again, firmer, and ran inside the house, already muttering a list of things to prepare as he went.

Phil watched him till the door was shut before running down the path Tubbo had appeared from. His sons had gone to town that morning. A travelling circus had been advertised, and Tommy and Tubbo had begged to see it. Their brothers had agreed to take them while Phil stayed back. They’d promised to be back by sundown, so when his sons hadn’t returned an hour after they’d said, Phil figured something had gone wrong. He was broken from his thoughts as he was engulfed in darkness, foliage blocking out the moonlight. He knew he wouldn’t have time to run, Tubbo had obviously been running for a while, and if the situation was as dire as he said, he would be too late. He shed his cloak and shirt, throwing them onto a nearby bush, leaving only a skin-tight black undershirt on. He took a deep breath, looking around to make sure Tubbo hadn’t followed him. Slowly, he let his wings appear, dragging them out from beneath his skin, and extending them to their full reach. He didn’t particularly want to expose them, especially in such a way, but he would do anything for his sons, and if that meant a secret or two was revealed, then so be it. He drew them back, tucking them behind him as he ran through the forest. He rounded a bend and found what he was looking for; dappled moonlight fell on the path and the trees above were thin enough for him to safely push through. He flared his wings, revelling in the feeling of the breeze through his feathers. With a quick inhale he jumped, covering his face with his arms as he broke above the trees. He took a moment to orientate himself, enjoying the feeling of flying again despite the seriousness of the situation. Locating his destination he launched himself forward, gaining speed as he flew across the forest, towards his sons.

* * *

_Can’t fight them Can’t fight them Can’t fight them_

Techno couldn’t stop; grip dangerously tight on Tommy’s hand as he dragged him through the field, Wilbur close behind and Tubbo’s retreating form in the distance. As soon as they’d entered the open their pursuers had sped up, closing the gap between them, unwilling to let their prey escape. He looked back just in time to see a blur of yellow drop to the ground. Wilbur let out a screech as he fell, curling into a ball. Techno skidded to a stop, Tommy copying him, prying his hand free and shaking it. Techno ran back to where Wilbur had fallen and was now clutching his ankle.

“Broken?”

“No, sprained probably,” Wilbur grit his teeth, “but I can’t run.”

“Alright, we fight then. Tommy, stay here and protect Wilbur. Do not leave this spot,” he commanded.

Tommy didn’t say anything, he simply drew his sword and stood next to Wilbur, eyes sparking with fear, but narrowed dangerously all the same.

Techno drew his sword, silently counting about 6 men, all of whom had stopped about 10 metres behind them, just staring with various weapons in hand. None of them had bows or crossbows, which meant he didn’t have to worry about being shot from afar. He advanced on them, making space between them and his brothers. He swung, sword arcing down on the first to confront him, slicing deep into his skin. It wasn’t a killing blow, but it still should have stopped the man. It didn’t. He kept going, ignoring the blood pouring down his torso as he slashed at Techno, who dodged, frowning when he realised the man hadn’t gone down. He stabbed again, this time making sure he was dead. He parried more blows from all directions, swinging in a large arc to force them to back off, giving him breathing room.

He heard a shout behind him and he turned to see Tommy being overpowered by two men, Wilbur waving his knife around in a pitiful defence. Distracted as he was, he barely dodged the axe aimed at him, instead of piercing his chest he leapt backwards, feeling it dig deep into his side. He ignored it, simply retaliating with his own swing—this one a killing blow—and ran back to Tommy. He stabbed at the one attacking Wilbur, giving Tommy the time to slide his sword between his attacker’s ribs. The brief respite meant that Techno finally felt the burning where he’d been struck, along with the multiple other cuts he’d suffered while he fought. Techno sunk to the ground next to Tommy, who had collapsed on shaky legs, leaning heavily on his sword. He glanced to the side, where Wilbur was still clutching his ankle, looking warily at the group in front. Something about them felt wrong to him. Their blows were much stronger than anyone he’d ever faced, and they didn’t seem to feel any pain as Techno cut them, continuing without flinching. Whatever it was that was attacking them, no matter what they looked like, were not human.

He realised that as he had been zoned out, one of the creatures—for that’s what they were—was approaching, axe swinging down in a murderous arc. He threw up his sword, knowing it wouldn’t be enough to stop the incoming blade, but hoping it at least wouldn’t touch Tommy. A shadow fell across him, and when no pain came, he looked up. Someone stood above him, large, black wings dotted with stars curled protectively around him, Tommy, and Wilbur on the other side of a pair of legs. A familiar green bucket hat caught his eye.

“Phil?”

Phil didn’t react, eyes focused solely on the men in front of them, sword drawn.

“You will regret touching them,” he spoke, voice booming throughout the field. If they could feel fear, the creatures would have been quaking.

He leapt forward, using his wings to glide just above the ground as he threw himself at the creatures, sword flashing at a speed that even Techno could barely follow. He had heard that Phil used to be known as ‘The Angel of Death’ before he’d adopted Techno. And here, watching Phil ruthlessly cut through the creatures, wings spread out against the sky, he truly understood why. It was over in seconds. Phil was always much better at fighting hordes of mobs while Techno preferred one-on-ones of pure skill. He walked back to the boys, wiping the blood off his sword as he did. Shakily Techno dragged Tommy to his feet.

“You—You’re a Hybrid? Why didn’t you tell us?” Tommy exclaimed, affronted.

Phil didn’t look up from where he was helping Wilbur stand, “I’m not a Hybrid Tommy.” He shuffled, letting Wilbur lean his weight on him.

“You’re a Winged One,” Techno stated, breathing heavily.

Phil hummed noncommittedly.

“What?” Tommy looked between the two adults, confused.

“Let’s just go home. I’ll explain I promise, but not here in the open, not when you’re hurt.”

They trudged home in silence, the pace slow. Tommy walked next to Techno, pretending he wasn’t worried when he noticed the gash in his side. Phil had...retracted? His wings? They were no longer visible and there was no sign they had ever existed. Tommy kept glancing at where they once were, trying to figure out if he had imagined them or not. After about ten minutes—long enough for the adrenaline to wear off and for weariness to set in—they found one of the creatures lying halfway off the path, bound with vines. Phil gestured for Tommy to take Wilbur and stood above him. He kicked him far more gently than he deserved, and when he received no response, hefted him onto his shoulder and continued walking.

“Tubbo?” Techno queried, receiving a nod in response.

They continued until Phil suddenly stopped, the path ahead littered with broken branches and leaves. He nodded over to where his clothes lay scattered on a bush. Techno picked them up as they passed, careful not to hold them close to his blood-stained shirt. After a few more minutes the house came into view, the soft glow of lanterns visible through the drawn curtains.

Tubbo looked up from where he was soaking bandages in healing potions as the door swung open, face flitting from fear to relief as Phil walked into the house.

“Oh thank the Gods you found them,” Tubbo breathed out, wiping his hands on his pants. Phil smiled at him, placing the man against the wall and retrieving proper rope from the cupboard to replace the vines.

When he finished he stood and walked to the kitchen, giving Tubbo a brief hug as they passed. “Alright, Tommy can you clean our swords? Techno come here, Wil sit on the couch.”

They obeyed, Tommy collecting the items and walking outside to the shed. Techno leant against the counter, shirt thrown into the sink to be cleaned later. Phil began wiping the large cut with a cloth, Techno stifling small hisses as he did. When Phil deemed it clean enough he dipped the cloth in the half-empty potion of healing, and let it soak into the wound. Once the bleeding slowed down he placed the bandages Tubbo had soaked against it, holding them in place with fresh bandages wrapped around his waist. He then turned his attention to the other various cuts and scrapes, deeming the soaked cloth good enough to heal them. Phil let him go with a squeeze on the shoulder, herding him onto the couch next to Wilbur, who was getting his ankle wrapped by Tubbo. He finished wrapping the bandage and ran upstairs, returning with another shirt for Techno, who thanked him as he pulled it on, wincing when he stretched. After another couple of minutes, Tommy re-entered the house and went upstairs, shirt dripping with water and three swords bundled in his arms. He returned sword-less and dry, silently plopping onto the couch next to Wilbur and leaning into him.

They sat in the living room as Phil cooked, Tommy uncharacteristically quiet as he watched Wilbur fiddle with his knife. Tubbo, having nothing better to do, stared at the man that had chased him. Eventually, Phil called for dinner, rousing them from the heavy atmosphere which filled the house. They spoke lightly over dinner, ignoring the man that lay slumped in the corner. Tommy picked up the dishes and began washing them before anyone could ask, which garnered a few raised eyebrows, but he was left alone. They sat and waited, Phil braiding Techno’s hair as they watched their prisoner. After what felt like hours, and no obvious signs, Techno stiffened.

“He’s waking up,” Techno said.

On cue the man’s eyes snapped open, whipping his head around like a feral animal as he struggled in the rope.

“Stop,” Phil commanded.

He stilled, eyes narrowing in on the figures in the room.

Tubbo stepped forward so he was in between the man and the couch, but still far out of reach.

“Why did you attack us?”

He said nothing.

Tubbo frowned. “Who are you and your friends.”

He said nothing.

“Oi dickhead he asked you a question,” Tommy piped up.

The man snarled and shook his head, grunting.

“Are you going to answer me?” Tubbo tried again, hoping to get anything out of the man.

All he received was another growl before he attempted to throw himself at Tubbo, who recoiled. Suddenly Phil was between them, sword in hand. “Alright, if you’re not going to be useful then we have no need for you.” He pulled him to his feet, dragging him outside with a curt “Don’t leave the house” over his shoulder.

No one dared move as Phil left, all too aware of what was happening, but not caring at all.

Tubbo sat back down in his chair, mind and heart racing. Techno said that the men hadn’t felt human, that they were abnormally strong. He didn’t seem to have comprehended anything that Tubbo had asked, reacting almost animalistic in nature. He knew that Techno was right, there was something off about them. And their eyes…It was like looking in a mirror, the same blue-purple eyes reflected back at him, only crazier. That was what made him the most suspicious. The strength and eye colour only meant one thing to him. Ender Dragon Hybrids. But that was impossible, only he and Dream should have that gene; it was exclusive to the royal family, after all. But something pricked at his mind, something Dream had told him. Dream had been captured and experimented on, and no one knew what or why. But maybe…

“Tubbooo? Helloo?”

“Huh?” He was broken from his thoughts by Tommy waving a hand in his face. He pushed it away and glared half-heartedly. He didn’t think it’d be a good idea to tell them, he wasn’t even sure of it himself. So he shrugged said, “Oh no it’s nothing.”

Tommy hummed, not quite believing him, but dropped it anyway.

Phil walked back in, anger still smouldering in his eyes, but he quickly wiped it away. He had barely made it into the house before Wilbur was questioning him.

“Ok it’s been like an hour, you promised us an explanation, Phil! What the hell was that?”

“What was what?” asked Tubbo, looking between the two as Tommy sat on the arm of his chair.

“He—he’s got wings!” he gestured to the space behind Phil, “and he’s not a Hybrid because bird Hybrids don’t have fucking _stars_ in their wings!”

Phil walked over to Wilbur, sitting down next to him before taking a deep breath. “Like Techno said before, I am,” he hesitated, “I am a Winged One, and I’m sorry I kept it a secret, but I felt it necessary.”

Tubbo’s eyes widened and he sunk into the chair.

“Uh, okay, what the hell is a Winged One?” Tommy spoke up, noticing everyone but him seemingly knew what it meant.

“What the hell did they teach you in history class?” Techno snorted.

“Shut up, you know I never went to school bitch, too busy stabbing people and shit.”

“We are an ancient race,” Phil broke in, “thought to be extinct. We ruled the End Realm, which we called Endlantis. It was a beautiful floating island covered in water, and the Endermen lived on the Outer Islands. It was peaceful. But a war broke out between the Winged One and the Ender Dragon. She wished to reclaim the entire realm for herself. It was a swift defeat, there were simply too many of them, many lives were lost and we fled to the Overworld. However, during the war, Endermen, who were previously peaceful creatures, turned hostile towards humans. They blamed us for this change in behaviour and hunted the few that survived the war. I hid my wings for years, and when I met you all, I had pretended to be human for so long, I didn’t even think about telling you all. I’m sorry”

There was silence as they took in his words. Wilbur and Techno had assumed it was a myth, no proof of the Winged Ones could be found in any books or records, and even if they did exist, it had been over 200 years since they disappeared, and nothing said they were immortal. Tubbo just stared blankly at the floor, refusing to meet Phil’s eyes as he looked around the room.

“So you’re telling me I’m correct and you are, in fact, an old man.”

Phil laughed, “Yes Tommy, I suppose I am.”

“And this means I’m the only damn human in this family? This is so unfair.” he pouted. “Wilbur how do I become not-human, I need help before I get thrown out for being an outsider."

“Just be born differently it’s not that hard.”

“Oh you’re so wise and helpful.”

“Better pack your bags Tommy, or else I’ve heard human meat is quite tasty.” Techno grinned, canines glinting in the candlelight.

“I’d like to see you tr—AH!” he shrieked as Techno jumped at him, chasing him up the stairs and out of sight.

They heard a few thuds and laughs echo down, and Tubbo smiled, any tension in the room dissipating. After a few moments, the noises stopped and they heard two doors close, signalling they were not going to be returning. Wilbur rolled his eyes and stood, biding the two a goodnight before limping after his brothers.

Phil waited for a few moments before turning back to Tubbo, glad to see he had uncurled and looked much less afraid than before. “Wanna talk about whatever that was?” he tried, unsure as to Tubbo’s change in mood.

He didn’t speak for a while, opting instead to quietly contemplate his words. “I feel like I owe you an apology,” he finally said.

“Why?”

“I—because I’m, y’know, part Ender Dragon, and the Ender Dragon is the reason your entire species is gone so it’s technically my fault because I’m related to Her and I’m really sorry that that happened and I completely understand if you want to throw me out—”

“Woah woah, slow down there! No one said anything about kicking you out Tubbo.” He moved over to sit next to him, dragging him into his lap so they could both fit on the chair. “Hey listen to me,” he rubbed Tubbo’s back as he hyperventilated, trying to regain some control over his breathing. “None of that is your fault. How could I ever blame you Tubbo? Were you there?”

Tubbo shook his head.

“Is it Dream’s fault?”

He shook his head again.

“Then it’s not your fault Tubbo, I can’t blame you for something that happened centuries before you were born.”

Tubbo nodded. “Ok, sorry, I wasn’t thinking right, it’s just—it’s just been a day.”

Phil chuckled, “It has, so I think it’s time you went to bed, Tommy is probably missing you, all alone in your dark, scary room.”

Tubbo laughed quietly as he stood up, “You are just so mean and old Phil, goodnight.”

He made his way to the room he shared with Tommy. He opened the door as quietly as he could, making sure to stop it before it hit that one spot where it started squeaking. A candle burned lowly on the dresser, bathing the room in a low orange glow. He slipped inside, closing the door behind him. Tommy lay in his bed, staring listlessly at his sword leaning against his bedside table. He didn’t react as Tubbo entered, so he silently changed out of his sweaty clothes, and into a fresh set. He extinguished the candle and slipped into his bed, but Tommy still didn’t move. He waited for Tommy to speak, minutes ticking by in the darkness.

“I killed someone Tubbo,” Tommy whispered, voice cracking

His face fell. “You saved Wilbur’s life,” he corrected.

Tommy didn’t reply, they simply sat in silence for a few minutes before Tommy shuffled, turning to face the wall and mumbling something that resembled “goodnight”. Tubbo huffed out a laugh and followed Tommy’s lead, closing his eyes he let sleep overtake him.

* * *

Tubbo awoke to the smell of smoke. He shot up, glancing around the room and seeing Tommy blearily rub his eyes. They slowly began moving, Tubbo shoving as many cloaks—they’d always been told to pack warm clothes in an emergency— and rations into a bag as he could while Tommy looked out the window. He jerked away from the curtain, letting it fall back into place and running over to their shelf. He grabbed his sword before joining Tubbo at the door.

“My bow?” Tubbo looked up from where he was pulling on his boots.

“Nope, it’s gonna be close quarters, just put it in your bag,” Tommy hissed back.

Three quick knocks from across the hall alerted them to their brothers’ presence. Tubbo knocked back and opened the door. Techno had his trident in his hands and sword strapped to his back, the glowing enchantments providing them with a dim light. Wilbur held two bags, one on his back and the other across his shoulder, leaving Techno unhindered for battle. He still winced as he shuffled, his wound from earlier not quite healed.

“It’s more of the same things from before, it can’t be the same group, Phil made sure of that, but it’s probably their friends or something. Why the hell are they here? It’s like two am, have some goddamn standards,” Wilbur whispered, starting to creep downstairs.

They followed him, finding Phil already in the living room, looking out the window. He looked up as they entered, raising a finger to his lips.

“We have to leave, there are far too many for us to fight, running is our best option.”

“What!” Tommy exclaimed, quickly being shushed by Wilbur. “We can’t just leave the house,” he lowered his voice, “what if they like, burn it down?”

Tubbo shook his head. “I don’t think they’re smart enough for that, and if they wanted to they already would have, they must have some other goal.”

They all looked at him in surprise before Phil nodded. “I agree. And if they want a fight they’re not going to get one.”

“Then we carve a path, move to the east, and if they attack us Phil and I will defend, Tommy can protect the rest of you,” Techno growled.

“I have a knife Techno, I don’t need Tommy to ‘protect’ me,” Wilbur argued, crossing his arms childishly.

“You’re just jealous I’m a better fighter than you.” Tommy poked out his tongue.

Phil rolled his eyes. “Children we’re about to be attacked, shut up.”

They did, Techno moving to the door with Phil, Tubbo behind them, Wilbur and Tommy at the back. Techno slowly turns the handle so as not to make any noise. When it could move no further he paused, readying his sword and glancing back. With no warning he flung it open, letting it bang against the wall and running to meet the oncoming blades. Phil joined him, both of them creating a wall at the base of the porch stairs. Tubbo ran out after them, clutching his and Tommy’s bags and pressing himself into the shadows. As the two fighters push forward, so did Tubbo, following a small distance behind so he was out of range of any weapons. Slowly they made their way to the left, Phil beating back anyone that approached and Techno moving further and further away as he pursued anyone who tried to retreat. They were about halfway to the forest edge when Wilbur realised their mistake.

“Shit,” he swore under his breath, “they’re getting too far away, they’re gonna get cut off.”

True to his word, someone took advantage of the gap that Techno and Phil had left, too caught up in fighting back they paid no attention to how far they had moved. The creature threw himself at Tommy, who frantically raised his sword to defend himself. While Tommy fought against him another creature skirted unnoticed around Phil. Tubbo saw movement out of the corner of his eye and leapt out of the way on instinct. Wilbur quickly stood where Tubbo had been, deflecting the sword that would have taken off his head and retaliating, slipping his knife into his chest. Tubbo very soon realised he had jumped _forward_. Meaning he was now away from the safety of Tommy and Wilbur, and out in the open space. He tried to correct his mistake, turning to run back, but a before he could move a gloved hand wrapped its way over his mouth and a cold, sharp line appeared at his throat. He swallowed, a warm sticky feeling making its way down his neck.

“Don’t move,” a gravelly voice spoke from behind him, knife pushed threateningly against his skin.

Everyone paused. Techno looked at Tubbo’s captor, anger smouldering in his eyes. Slowly he dropped his defensive stance, motioning the others to do the same. The clearing went still, his family not wanting to endanger Tubbo, and their enemies waiting for orders. Tubbo looked around the clearing, counting at least 15 creatures surrounding them. None of them stood close enough to grab him if he took down the creature currently threatening him. He felt him shuffle behind him, widening his stance as he dragged Tubbo further away. An idea came to him as they moved, and he grinned internally. He adjusted his body, moving slowly as to not draw attention to himself as Phil tried to bargain with the man. He looked at Techno and slowly began mouthing a countdown. Techno simply nodded minutely. On one, he violently lurched his leg upwards, kicking him in a very undignified place. At the same time, Techno launched himself at the assailant. The knife fell away from his throat as the man doubled over, and he shook himself out of the hold, running back towards Tommy. A sudden burning pain in his leg made him stumble, slamming into the ground with a thud.

Wilbur ran forward with Tommy beside him. He crouched down next to Tubbo, who didn’t stir and pulled him into his lap. A cruel-looking cross-bolt embedded in his calf. He looked up worriedly, hoping that no one would notice the vulnerable pair, but found Phil and Techno forming a pseudo wall between them and the creatures.

“Wilbur, take them and run! We’ll catch up in a minute,” Phil shouted over his shoulder.

Wilbur nodded, hoisting Tubbo onto his back with Tommy’s help. With a quick glance at the fight, he tugged Tommy into the darkness. Instantly Tommy began pulling back, exclaiming that he should be helping Phil and Techno fight. But Wilbur simply shook his head, he wasn’t going to let his little brother get blood on his hands again today.

“I need someone to protect us if anyone follows, I can’t fight like this.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it would convince Tommy to leave. He did, glancing worriedly at Tubbo and walking after Wilbur, any resistance lost at the prospect of Tubbo getting hurt again.

* * *

A jolt woke Tubbo, head lifting from Wilbur’s shoulder as he looked around blearily, leg throbbing with every step Wilbur took. He groaned, drawing the attention of the others.

“Tubbo!” someone shouted, and he felt a hand brush his own.

He groaned again as the voice pierced his ears. “Tommy, kindly shut up.”

“You have the stupidest luck I’ve ever seen Tubbo,” Tommy continued, voice gentler, “you could have fallen anywhere, but no, you landed on the _one_ rock on the ground.”

He mumbled out a half-hearted apology, head swimming as he watched the grass move below him. Closing his eyes he let their gentle conversation wash over him. He couldn’t have been asleep for more than a few minutes before he stirred again, only just realising they were walking through a forest and weren’t at home.

“Wh’re we goin’?” he slurred. That was important, right? They should be going to…

“Don’t know buddy, probably town. Niki would help us if we asked,” Wilbur said softly.

“N—no. That’s not…go to…” Go? He knew—he knew he had a destination in mind, but it wouldn’t come to him.

“Hmm? Go where? You got a place we should go?” Phil pushed. Tubbo sounded so distraught at the idea of going to town, he assumed Tubbo knew something they didn’t.

Tubbo groaned, head pulsating in time with his leg as he tried to remember. It was someone important to him? Someone…

“Dre…am,” he managed, hoping his family would understand. His eyes kept fluttering closed, unable to fight it anymore he let his head fall forward, drifting back to sleep.


	2. Can't Catch a Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi again lmao

He woke to startling purple eyes and a smattering of freckles staring at him. He jerked upright, instantly regretting it as his leg throbbed in protest. 

“Dream?”

Dream grinned, helping him lean against the wall and handing him a glass of water.

“The one and only. How’re you feeling?”

“A little sore,” Tubbo admitted, looking around he recognised Dream’s room from the few times he’d visited. “Are the others ok?”

“They’re fine Tubs, you’re the idiot who knocked himself out.” Dream rolled his eyes.

“I’ll have you know I was brutally attacked.” 

Dream laughed, ruffling Tubbo’s hair to his annoyance. “Wanna get up? I think George and Wilbur are outside but everyone else is in the lounge.”

He didn’t bother answering, he just threw off the blanket and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, ignoring the twinge of pain he felt as he put pressure on his right. He stood shakily but quickly found his balance, Dream watching him closely, hands hovering by his side. Tubbo walked to the door, careful not to put too much weight on his injured leg. Dream followed, grabbing his mask and strapping it on. Tubbo looked at him curiously, he never wore it around his friends, and Tubbo’s family had all seen his face. Dream met his gaze and shrugged, muttering “Habit” before shooing Tubbo on.

Tommy shot up from the couch as he appeared, trying and failing to wipe the concern off his face and rushing over to help him walk. Tubbo sunk gratefully into the soft couch, smiling as Tommy fussed uselessly next to him. 

“Here,” Techno passed him a glass, the water stained a light pink, “watered down healing pot, it should help with walking.”

He thanked him, downing the glass in one go. Instantly he felt the pain lessen into a dull ache, and not the relentless waves he’d felt before.

“What time is it?” he asked, barely having set the glass down on the table before it was whisked away by Sapnap and replaced with a ham sandwich.

“Just before noon.” Techno answered, “We arrived at four. Tommy _absolutely_ woke up every single animal in the nearest 50 kilometres with his ‘knocking.’” he made quotation marks with his fingers as Tommy glared at him.

“No he’s right, it was so loud.” Dream sat down next to Tubbo, shoving the untouched sandwich into his lap as an argument broke out.

He took it, not really feeling hungry but eating it anyway. 

George and Wilbur came inside at the yelling, their faces lighting up at the sight of Tubbo, who waved.

He turned back to the sandwich, half-heartedly shoving the rest into his mouth and setting the plate on the table.

“So was there a specific reason you wanted to come here? Apart from seeing your dear older brother of course.”

He squirmed as everyone drew their attention back to him. He wasn’t sure if he was even right, so maybe telling them wasn’t a good idea, it’d just make them worry. But on the other hand, if he was right, it was a serious problem that they deserved to know about…

Someone clicked their fingers under his nose and he jumped.

“Tubbo I know you like to think, but you’ll hurt yourself at this rate,” Dream joked.

He laughed nervously, looking down at his hands in his lap.

“I think—” he began, “I think Techno was right when he said they weren’t human.”

Techno nodded in acknowledgement.

“I think they’re…Ender Dragon Hybrids—Woah! Let me explain!” he shot up as everyone began shouting over each other.

“Tubbo,” Dream said gently, sitting him back down, “That’s literally not possible, only the Royal Family are Dragon Hybrids, and I really don’t think we have that many siblings.”

Tubbo narrowed his eyes. “Just listen to me!” he yelled, “I think they are _fake_ Hybrids.”

That shut everyone up.

Dream leant back into the couch, arms crossed. “Go on…”

Tubbo looked at where he assumed his eyes were as he spoke. “I think whatever they did to you six years ago, was for this. You mentioned experiments, right?”

Dream nodded slowly.

“Then I believe that this is what they wanted. To _create_ Ender Dragon Hybrids. To create strong soldiers for himself.”

Dream just stared at him, nervously adjusting his mask. “So, what. Schlatt used my DNA to create…synthetic…Hybrids?” he said slowly, working through the implications in his head.

Tubbo nodded sadly. “That’s what I think.”

“And why do you think that Tubbo, not that I won’t believe you, but what’s the reasoning?” Phil asked.

He paused as he gathered his thoughts. “I had a good look at the one we captured, and after observing the second group, I was more confident. First: their eyes. They look exactly like mine; The same duller purple-y blue. Second: their strength and, uh, animalistic nature. Strength by itself doesn’t mean anything, but I’ve heard stories of our ancestors going berserk, and that pretty much mirrored it.”

He shrunk into himself. “I put all my evidence together and that was the only outcome I could think of. I’m sorry.”

“Hey. Don’t apologise, I’d rather know then keep getting attacked,” Wilbur sent him a calm smile.

“But why would they attack us? I presume it’s on someone’s orders. But why?” Phil posed the question on everyone’s mind.

They sat for a minute, deep in thought.

“Techno,” Tommy blurted out, breaking the silence.

“Eh? Yes?” 

“Nono, I mean…” he looked as confused as everyone else felt. “What if…nah it's stupid.”

“We don’t have any other ideas, just spit it out.” Techno sighed.

He crossed his arms. “Well, what if they were after you? Not like, personally or anything. But because you’re…y’know,” he gestured up and down, “you? Technoblade, strongest fighter or whatever.” 

Wilbur’s face lit up from where he had slid to the floor. “Tommy, I think that’s the smartest thing you’ve ever said.”

“Excuse me? I say smart shit all the time!"

“If that’s true,” George pursed his lips. “They’ve attacked you twice so far, so who’s to say they won’t do it again?”

“It sounds feasible to me. Tubbo said it was done ‘to create strong soldiers.’ So what better way to test that than by fighting the best.” Phil kicked lightly at Wilbur.

Dream scoffed. “Should I be offended by that?”

“Yes.”

“Shut up Techno.”

“No you have a point Dream,” Sapnap said, “If they’ve attacked Techno they’ll probably attack you, and us. And I dunno about you, but I don’t want to fight them.”

“Then what do we do?” George moaned. “like you said, they’re probably not gonna stop unless Schlatt runs out of soldiers. Or Techno and/or Dream are dead.”

Techno drummed his fingers on his leg. “Then why don’t we go to them? Shut down whatever they’re using and get rid of any ‘DNA’ so they can’t keep making ‘em.”

Sapnap straightened. “That’s an idea. We haven’t had our cool ‘coming of age action-adventure story’ yet, we’d get famous and the attacks would stop. Win-win!” 

“And the soldiers would be saved. They were once normal people, but Schlatt has corrupted them, destroyed their lives,” Tubbo murmured. 

“Well, Dream? What do you think?”

“I—” Dream said hesitantly, “I could take you to where I was…held. But I can’t guarantee the place is still standing, or that what we want is there. But I still think it’s our best shot. And,” he glared at Sapnap, “if we do this, it’ll be a secret, I don’t want people to put two and two together and realise who me and Tubbo are.”

“Then it’s a plan,” Wilbur stood up, and clapped his hands, “We go to Esempia and stop Schlatt from creating more Ender Dragon Hybrids. Are we all in agreement?”

They all nodded.

“Uh, what about the kids? We’re not taking them, right?” Dream glanced at Tommy and Tubbo.

He was met with two angry 16-year-olds.

“Bitch boy I am _not_ a child! Of course we’re coming asshole.”

“Dream! This is my problem as much as yours! I have to go! You can’t leave us behind.”

Wilbur, and Phil burst out laughing, Techno trying not to smile.

“Yeah I expected that.” Phil ruffled their hair, “Wasn’t going to fight them on it ‘cause we knew they’d just get angry.”

Dream just shrugged. “Worth a try.” He stood up, “Are we leaving now? We’ve got enough daylight to get pretty far.”

“Might as well, we’ve got enough stuff here for a long trip, and I’m sure we can source what we don’t have in a village.” George agreed, waving Techno and Wilbur over to his room.

Tubbo ducked out from under Phil, wincing as he stretched his leg after nearly an hour of not moving and followed Dream back to his room to retrieve their bags. 

They had barely even entered the room when Dream took a shuddering breath and slid down the door, burying his head into his knees and breathing heavily. Tubbo stood still for a moment before he knelt down next to him, hands hovering just above his brother’s arms as he hesitated.

“Can I touch you?”

Phil had always drilled into his head that if anyone was ever panicking—a rather common occurrence in their house—you should always check boundaries before doing anything. He hadn’t understood why until he watched Wilbur nearly get his head sliced off by Techno during a panic attack when he tried to hug him.

Dream nodded slowly and Tubbo attempted to wrap his arms around him. Dream was a lot taller than him, but he managed to somewhat cocoon him.

“Sorry,” Dream laughed, voice slightly wet, “I shouldn’t be acting like this around you.”

Tubbo just shushed him and squeezed harder. 

“It’s gonna hurt, going back there. For the both of us. You don’t have to be strong for me or whatever, we can handle it together.”

Dream lifted his head, slipping the mask off and pulling Tubbo into his lap. They sat like that for a few minutes. Memories playing through their heads and both dreading going back to Esempia—and the possibility of seeing Schlatt or getting caught again. A crash from another room broke them from their daze and they slowly disentangled. 

Tubbo stood with a final squeeze to Dream’s hand and grabbed his bag. Nothing had been removed so he didn’t have much packing to do. He sat on the bed as he watched Dream flit around the room, grabbing clothes and weapons and potions from all kinds of drawers and cupboards.

“Do you guys not have a dedicated potion room?”

Dream paused, “We do. I just also…have my own stock.”

Tubbo rolled his eyes, “Oh come on, you’ve known them for how long? And still you—” he broke off at the annoyed look Dream sent him.

“It’s not like that, I promise, I just like keeping them close in emergencies.”

He huffed, muttering a _fine_ and standing up and walking in circles to get rid of the lingering ache in his leg. 

Dream pulled himself up from the closet and latched his bag, eyeing the way Tubbo moved.

“You need something for that?” he made his way to the hall.

“Nah, it’ll be fine once we start walking, barely hurts anymore,” Tubbo followed him, shutting the door on the way out.

They found most of the others already in the lounge, Sapnap was rummaging through the kitchen, pulling out bread, salted meat, and other non-perishable foods.

“George still isn’t ready?” Dream commented as he joined Sapnap.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s asleep.”

A _Shut up Sapnap!_ floated down the hall followed by a slamming door and they laughed.

George walked into the lounge, glaring at his friends and carrying an extra satchel.

“Potions,” he answered before Tommy could even open his mouth.

Tubbo smiled as Tommy floundered silently and made his way over to stand next to him. 

After a few more minutes of “No, Sapnap, we do not need to bring _cake_ ” and “Guys I'm not carrying everything come back here you asshole” they were ready. They stood in the entrance of the house, checking through bags and scanning the room for anything they may have forgotten. 

“We’ve got clothes, potions, med kit, and we’ve got enough food for all of us,” George ticked off his fingers, “and we’ll pass your house on the way so you can grab stuff there.”

Phil nodded. “We’ve got most things, but more weapons and better clothes won’t hurt.”

“Woo, defeat an evil dictator, totally haven’t done that before,” Techno rolled his eyes and opened the door.

“Yeah but now you have friends!” Wilbur ran after him.

A shaky _nooo_ drifted inside and they laughed; much more nervously this time. 

Tubbo dragged Tommy outside after their brothers and the others quickly followed.

Dream hummed thoughtfully as he locked the door behind him.

George sent him a questioning look and he shrugged.

“Feels like we’re forgetting something. Not sure.” He put the key in his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

“Can’t be, I checked our bags like three times.”

Dream shrugged again. “Probably not important if I can’t remember.”

“Probably.” George agreed, pushing in front of the group and leading them down the hidden track to the main path.

* * *

They were about to stop; the sun had dipped far enough over the horizon that not even the lingering orange streaks in the sky could pierce the thick canopy. Dream paused, holding up a hand to signal everyone to stop when Tubbo heard it; the sound of marching feet from ahead. Slowly the others caught on, and they began fanning out into the trees in a small circle. From out of the darkness a figure launched itself at Sapnap, quickly followed by more people. The Hybrids had found them. Tubbo retreated behind Tommy, letting him deal with anyone that got too close while he knocked his bow. Behind him, George was already pulling back his own string, letting an arrow fly into the neck of someone trying to sneak up on Dream. Tubbo fired, wincing as it found its mark and the Hybrid went down. He had to push aside the feeling of guilt—they weren’t people anymore—and killing them was probably a mercy. Dream cut off his thoughts with a yell, instructing them to split into groups so they didn’t cramp each other, ducking under Techno’s trident to prove his point. They obeyed, Tubbo followed Phil, and Wilbur to their left, letting them surround him but leaving him enough space to draw his bow. The others fell out of view as they fought their way forward, trying to find an end to the group attacking them.

Meanwhile, Dream found himself alone. He’d pushed George to back up Techno, Sapnap, and Tommy, arguing that he was the furthest from the fighting now, and could handle the low numbers himself. George nodded, and with a final glance ran after the three. He was kinda regretting it now, but he couldn’t exactly take it back.  
He stared at his opponents, most of them had backed off, letting one creature take the lead. His eyes were much closer to purple than the others, Dream noted. His hands tightened reflexively around his axe. He jumped back as one of the creatures slashed at him, the long, lunging motion of the lance leaving his body wide open. Dream let the man’s momentum carry him closer and he swung his axe upwards directly into his ribs, hearing a sickening crack as the man crashed at his feet.  
The ‘leader’ of the group opened his mouth, his words a garbled, crunching noise that grated on his ears.

He flinched at the sound, narrowing his eyes, that was _not_ human, it was something akin to the language spoken by the Endermen, but a twisted mockery of it. He watched warily as the Hybrid stopped speaking, head tilted as he realised Dream had heard. Dream tensed, unsure, as the creature reached into his pocket and retrieved something. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was a noise worse than before, a high-pitched ringing reverberating in his head as he crashed to the ground.  
The Hybrid stared at where he had collapsed, satisfied by this new situation. He raised his sword again as he approached the man. 

A flash of silver flew across the trees, embedding itself into his chest. He looked down as he felt a cold sensation run through his body. He had no time to react as his companions went down in silent screams and a clawed hand appeared in his vision. He was sent flying into what felt like hard rock, a resounding crack echoing in the night, his body going slack. Bad turned from where he had thrown the man and knelt over Dream, pulling his head into his lap.

“Is he ok?” Skeppy called out, shaking his hand and wincing.

Bad frowned as he inspected his friend. “I can’t see any blood or injuries, maybe a concussion? I’m not sure,” he trailed off.

Skeppy came closer, leaning over the both of them and scanning Dream up and down. He shrugged, unsure of what to do and looked around at the carnage. The bodies were strewn around, half of them had deep claw marks down their skin. 

“Yeesh,” he commented to himself.

Suddenly Bad looked up. Skeppy followed his gaze and after a few moments, whatever Bad had sensed came into view. Three men appeared on the path about 20 metres up ahead, as soon as they noticed the pair, they stopped. 

Bad flicked his eyes between the strangers, noting how one of them was much younger, and that one was…

He tensed as he made eye contact with the older man, waves of _wrong not human enemy fear_ hitting him. Skeppy stepped in front of Bad, shielding him with his body as he noticed Bad’s reaction

Phil noticed the way the hooded man cradled Dream, and seeing the wariness in the ‘man’s’ eyes, raised his hands placatingly.

“I’m not gonna do anything, I have nothing against you.” He said softly.

Bad loosened minutely, not sure of who the stranger was and if he was even with Dream or not. His attention was drawn as another group appeared to their right. George and Sapnap stumbled onto the path, another boy close behind them. George paused as he saw Skeppy, and Bad cradling Dream, before rushing forward.

“Bad? Skeppy? What? Why are you—” he trailed off, confusion and worry warring in his expression.

The two relaxed as they appeared, meaning that the strangers were probably friends and could be trusted.

“We were heading to your house,” Skeppy said, incredulous, “we said we were coming? We were late ‘cause we found a new cave system but—don’t tell me you forgot?”

“We heard fighting so we came to investigate. We found Dream just, lying there with some guy above him,” Bad explained, speaking over Skeppy’s cries of mock betrayal.

“Geez ok, Skeppy we get it, we got a little…caught up…so it slipped our minds.” Sapnap rolled his eyes and joined George, who was fussing over Dream.

“What happened Skeppy?” 

Skeppy jumped at the low voice, whirling back around to find Techno was standing behind the boy. 

“Huh? Technoblade?”

“Yeah, that’s me, congratulations on recognising me. Can you answer the question?”

“Like I said, we found Dream just lying there,” he grumbled, “I’ve got no idea why, and he’s not hurt or anything. All I know is that the guy he was uh, ‘fighting,’ had this.” He held out a small black box, a row of buttons running down its length. 

Tubbo darted forward and snatched it from him before anyone could reply, squinting suspiciously at it.

Skeppy muttered a “damn kid, ok” under his breath and stepped over to greet Techno properly.

“Bad? Why are you uh,” Sapnap looked warily over at Phil, “like that?” he continued in a lower voice, raking his eyes up and down Bad’s body.

“Whoa there Sapnap, only I can look at Bad like that.” Skeppy grinned, ducking as Techno swiped at him jokingly.

“Geppy! Stop!” Bad cried, shaking his head as he let George take Dream and stood up. “We realised that there were more people than just you three so I was being cautious.”

“It’s alright, they’re chill. You can do the thing if you want?” Sapnap said.

Bad turned to look at Phil again, judging him once more before sighing. He closed his eyes and was instantly enveloped in black particles. Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo all jumped at the sight while Phil just rolled his eyes at their reactions. When Bad opened his eyes, they were no longer a forest green, but pure white, and his skin an almost void-like black. 

“Holy shit, you’re a demon?” Wilbur spluttered.

“Yeah! You got a pro—” Skeppy jumped in, but was cut off by Bad.

“I am,” he smiled, “It’s nice to meet you, my name is BadBoyHalo, but you can call me Bad, or BBH. This is Skeppy, I’m sorry about him.” Despite his calm demeanour, a long, barbed tail swished nervously behind him.

“Aren’t you supposed to be evil or some shit?” Tommy jumped in, getting over his initial shock.

“No? Sure, some are, but I most definitely am not.” He sounded almost offended.

Techno spoke up before any more questions could be asked. “This is very nice and all, reunions and meetings etcetera. But if you hadn’t noticed, it’s dark now. Skeppy and I are going to set up torches.” Any complaints Skeppy had were cut off as he was dragged into the trees.

“Do they, uh, know each other?” George piped up, laughing as Skeppy fake sobbed, the sound echoing through the forest.

“Mhm,” Bad confirmed, “I’ve met Techno a few times. He often does jobs with Skeppy when he needs to break into some high-security mansion or something like that.”  
“Damn, he didn’t even tell us he had friends other than us, I’m so proud of him.” Wilbur wiped away a fake tear as Tommy shoved him off to get firewood.

* * *

The fire crackled lowly, barely audible under the voices of the group. Dream still hadn’t woken up, so Sapnap and George had wrangled him into his bedroll, squishing him between them. They had caught Bad and Skeppy up on everything they hadn’t known, from Tubbo being Dream’s little brother to the recent attacks. Bad had fallen asleep quickly after a dinner of roasted pheasant, citing that fighting in human form tired him much more than as a demon. 

Tubbo had been fiddling with the box for nearly an hour before he let out a triumphant shout, cutting off Sapnap’s dramatic re-enactment of the first Manhunt he had done with Dream and George. 

“Did you figure it out, big man?” Tommy leant over Tubbo, peering at the box, the back panel open to reveal a dial. 

Tubbo nodded. “I think so? It’s a noise maker, but every time I pressed the button it didn’t do anything—”

“You mean you’ve been pressing the thing that did _that_ to Dream this entire time?” Tommy squawked.

“—Though I felt a bit sick whenever I did,” he ignored him, “so I figured it had something to do with the pitch; this dial at the back controls it.”

“What frequency was it on?” Wilbur asked, “humans can hear to just about 20 kilohertz, so that’s only Tommy, George, Sapnap, Skeppy…and Phil.” He glanced at Phil as he said his name, questioning whether it was staying a secret. Phil just shook his head. Wilbur shrugged and looked expectantly at Tubbo.

“Wait, wait what about you?” George jumped in before he could reply.

Wilbur’s smile was sickly sweet. “Who said I was completely human?”

Tubbo grinned at their confused faces before answering. “60. It was on 60 when I found it. So I’m not surprised Dream could hear it.”

Wilbur whistled, impressed.

“The guy that used it in the first place was though.” Skeppy broke in.

Tubbo sent him a questioning look and gestured for him to elaborate.

“Well, we saw a little bit of the uh ‘fight.’ The Hybrid spoke? Or something, and Dream apparently heard it. The dude was like ‘Woah what the muffin?’ and pulled out the box. Boom. Dream is out cold.”

 _Muffin?_ Tommy mouthed at Phil, who just shrugged. 

George hummed, unphased by the swear. “Maybe the box is used to control the other Hybrids? That guy was probably the leader, so it’s like the equivalent of a whip?”

Tubbo nodded viciously at his words. “I agree, so he used it to see what would happen, or on purpose to incapacitate Dream since he realised he would hear it. Which means the creatures are capable of more intelligent thought.”

“So what did you shout for?” Techno prompted.

“Oh! I figured out how to lower the frequency. I’ve put it on 50 kilohertz, so it’s well out of range for humans. Techno you shouldn’t be able to hear it as it’s still too high, but Bad might, I’m not sure.”

Tubbo looked at the box for a few moments before shrugging and pressing the button. The effect was instantaneous. His entire body went limp, like a puppet with cut strings.  
Tommy dived sideways, arms reaching out before Tubbo could hit the ground. At the same moment Bad shot up from Skeppy’s lap, hands pressed tightly to his ears. 

Tubbo blinked upwards as Phil’s concerned face swam in his vision, giggling as the noise cut off and the tingling in his body slowly faded.

“What the hell Tubbo?” Tommy shouted, “are you ok?” 

Tubbo waved dismissively as best he could through the disconnect between his body and brain. 

“Yeah, yeah, just felt weird.”

“W—why the hell would you do that?”

“Wanted to test it.”

Phil laughed, “I think there are better ways than that.”

“Hmm. No, I don’t agree.” 

He tried to sit up off Tommy but found he couldn’t move very well. Tommy ended up pushing them both into a sitting position, Tubbo’s weight completely supported. 

“What in the world was that awful noise?” Bad croaked, Skeppy having finally managed to peel Bad’s hands from his head 

“Sorry,” Tubbo smiled weakly, “That was probably what Dream heard, but not as bad.”

“Oh dear.” Bad turned to look at where George was now carding his hands through Dream’s hair, his face scrunched up in pain despite being unconscious. “Are you alright?” 

“Mostly, I can’t really uh, move? And—” he cut himself off as the world tilted—a familiar feeling—and slumped even further into Tommy, who grunted. 

“—ubbooo,” Tommy complained, laying them both down so he wouldn’t have to hold Tubbo up. “Can you please stop doing that?”

“Sorry,” he slurred, Tommy’s voice far away, “I just got dizzy…and tired…goodnight.”

He buried into Tommy’s chest, ignoring his protests and falling asleep instantly. 

Techno snorted and grabbed their bedrolls, ignoring Tommy as he lifted them with one arm, slipping the canvas under them with the other. Tommy snatched the blanket with a disgruntled “thanks” and covered them both, lying down under Tubbo and closing his eyes. 

Bad smiled softly over at them as they fell asleep. “Well, I can definitely see the family resemblance between Tubbo and Dream.”

“What?” Wilbur laughed, “that they’re both secretly fucking feral?”

“Language! And I meant their eyes!”

“W—what?”

Skeppy cackled at the affronted look on Wilbur’s face, George and Sapnap struggling to hide their grins.

“I don’t like swearing, it’s not necessary.”

“I? You’re a Demon?”

“So?”

Wilbur couldn’t think of a rebuttal, he just stared, mouth gaping at Bad before huffing and looking away, a smile pulling at his lips.

* * *

It had been a few hours since everyone else had gone to sleep. Only Sapnap and George sat awake, talking lowly so as to not disturb the others. 

A groan shook them from their silence, they both looked down at Dream, who had begun to twitch slightly. Sapnap gently shook his shoulder, trying to rouse him. Dream blinked blearily, eyes unseeing as he turned to look up at George. 

George smiled at him. “Good morning sleepy.”

Dream didn’t reply, just squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to regain feeling in his limbs. After a few moments, he opened them again. “It’s the middle of the night?”

“It’s after midnight Dreamie,” Sapnap said in a sing-song, “that means its morning.”

“Oh shut up. What the hell happened?”

“You got knocked out by some sound thingy, which is very lame by the way, and then Bad and Skeppy ended up saving your ass.”

Dream struggled to sit up but was pushed back down by George. “Bad? Skeppy? What?”

George shushed him. “We’ll explain in the morning, we’re tired, and now you’ve proven you’re not in some weird coma; I’m going to sleep.

Sapnap snorted as George lay down nonchalantly—ignoring the fact that he’d been genuinely worried Dream wouldn’t actually wake up. He offered Dream some leftover chicken, who took it gratefully. 

“Oh this is gonna be a fun trip.” Dream said when he finished eating.

“Yep, just a couple of guys being dudes on a trip to stop an evil dictator from corrupting the military of a country he stole! Fun!” Sapnap joked, lying down next to Dream.  
“Gods this is gonna suck, especially if Tubbo has to see Schlatt again.”

“Hey dude, think about yourself as well.”

Dream turned to face him, smiling sadly. “I never met the man, so I’m fine on that front.”

They didn’t say anything for a few moments.

“What if we have to go to that ‘facility’ Dream?” George rolled over, pressing his chest to Dream’s back and leaning over him. “What then?”

He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes. “Then I deal with it. I don’t have a choice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to stop starting and ending scenes with people being asleep or unconcious  
> *opens eyes*  
> But I don’t want to

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm currently looking at 12 chapters but I'm not sure so I haven't marked it yet.  
> Next chapter shouldn't take as long as this did, i just didn't touch it for 2 weeks lmao.
> 
> Art also by me  
> https://twitter.com/SkylerHyrule/status/1355056891043319812


End file.
